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Chad says it foiled attempt by military to 'destabilize' country

Friday, 06 January 2023 6:19 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 06 January 2023 6:19 AM ]

People walk as they protest in Moundou, Chad, on October 20, 2022. (Photo by Reuters)

Chadian security agencies have foiled a plot by a group of army officers to "destabilize" the country and undermine constitutional order, the government said in a statement on Thursday.

A “restricted group of conspirators” comprising 11 officers led by the head of the Chadian Organization of Human Rights, Baradine Berdei Targuio, were behind the alleged plot, the statement asserted.

A formal investigation has been launched into "violation of the constitutional order, criminal association, illegal possession of a firearm and complicity", said communications minister and government spokesman, Aziz Mahamat Saleh.

"The investigation is following its course and the government means to do everything to shed light on this affair and to determine responsibility," Saleh said.

So far, the investigating magistrate looking at the case has charged the anarchists and ordered their detention, according to Saleh.

Security services have been arresting people linked to the plot since December 8 and have seized military equipment, the government statement noted.

The landlocked country sitting at the crossroads of North and Central Africa has been on edge since the death of longtime ruler Idriss Deby in 2021, after which his son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, seized power.

In recent months, authorities have cracked down on dissent as demonstrations demanding a quicker transition to democratic rule have gained momentum.

Around 50 people were killed in October in protests the government described as an "armed insurrection". However, rights groups termed them pro-democracy demonstrations.

Over 139 people arrested during the October protests were released last month after a month and a half in detention after the government acknowledged the arrest of 601 people in the capital and their transfer to a high-security prison.

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